Another bounce-back needed
Among the Bruins’ strengths this season has been their ability to bounce back from pitfalls, be it a bad period, a bad game, or a bad stretch.
They ripped off a fourgame winning streak following a pre-Christmas slump. After three straight overtime and/or shootout losses on a January road swing, the Black and Gold won five in a row. They also turned the tide after a post-All-Starbreak slog, capped with a 3-0-1 run last week.
Now they will look to reverse course after a 5-1 loss to the Blues Monday with a visit to Montreal Thursday night.
Jim Montgomery credited his veterans with creating a positive environment that helps prevent tough times from lingering.
“Competitive spirit in that locker room. The great culture and the great leaders. I mean, I’ve said it since I’ve been here from Day One,” said the coach. “I’m very fortunate with the players I get to coach because they want to win. They want to get better. So that’s why I think we get better throughout the year.”
One of those veterans, Brandon Carlo, pointed to the staff for helping to keep the dressing room on point when adversity rears its ugly head.
“I think that plays into mind-set. I feel like with our coaching staff here, we have a good mind-set on where we’re headed and what we want to accomplish,” said the defenseman, who leads the Bruins in plus/minus with a plus-22. “So, you are going to have to have short-term memory in some situations, and you see it throughout each playoff, there’s going to be ups and downs and things like that. So, I’m actually thankful for it. I think it’s going to better prepare us, but we need to make sure to take care of those areas when we are bouncing back from those games and trying to make our game a little bit more consistent at times. But overall, I’m happy with the way that we are bouncing back, but from there, it’s just trying to remain that consistent level through these last [15] games.”
The first of those tilts comes against the Canadiens, which normally would automatically trigger an uptick in emotions. But the rivalry hasn’t been competitive in recent years. Montreal is poised to miss the playoffs for the third straight season and fifth time in seven years.
Still, Carlo thinks the Bell Centre is the perfect venue to erase the loss to St. Louis.
“It’s one of my favorite places to play on the road, obviously with the history involved and yeah, going up there is always special, so you can tell right away in warmups it’s loud, it’s energetic, and you definitely want to take care of that game after last game,” he said.
Montgomery, who grew up in Montreal, shared Carlo’s sentiment.
“Any time you go into an Original Six building — Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, obviously our own, we’ve got the greatest fans in the league,” said Montgomery. “It’s special when you go into those buildings.”
Welcome aboard
The Bruins signed Notre Dame defenseman Drew Bavaro to a one-year, entry-level contract with an NHL salary-cap hit of $867,500 for the 2024-25 season. The 6foot-3-inch, 202-pound Bavaro will spend the rest of this season with the Providence Bruins on an amateur tryout deal. Bavaro had 10 goals and 20 points (both team highs for defensemen) in 35 games this season . . . Former Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron was named to Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s 2024 Hall of Fame class. Bergeron had 23 goals and 73 points for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in 2002-03
. . . Smiles everyone: Though Tuesday’s practice was optional, all hands were on deck for the annual picture day . . . Following their visit to Montreal, the Bruins play three straight at home: Saturday (Flyers), Tuesday (Senators), and Thursday (Rangers).